Hi my name is Kieren Olney and I am one of the new car sales consultants here at and Toowong Kia.
I have the pleasure of driving a large range of cars in my time in the automotive sector and would to share my thoughts with you on the Kia Optima Platinum.
The Optima is a wonderfully designed car that is loaded with technology and offers a sleek European styling that is sure to turn heads.
The Optima houses an impressive 2.4L GDi engine that produces 148Kw of power and 250Nm of torque while still giving great fuel economy.
The strong lines and stance that begin at the front and follow all the way to the rear of the car adds a certain beauty and sportiness that is unique to the Optima. With the addition of the Sporty 18 inch alloy wheels just completes the look and feel of the Optima. A great amount of time has been spent on the entire design and is visible on the exterior and even more so inside.
The comfort of having 8 way power adjustable driver seat with memory function means your seat position is available at the push of a button even if someone else has been driving the car. The Optima houses amazing technology from the smart key and push button start to heated and cooled drivers and ventilated passenger seat.
The Optima’s interior has been designed with ease of access without losing the luxurious looks. The audio, cruise control, Bluetooth and trip computer controls are all located on the steering wheel, this allows the driver to change the audio or answer calls without taking their hands off the steering wheel which makes for a safer drive. The audio and satellite navigation system is pointed 9 degrees towards the driver to provide enhanced visibility and easy access to the climate controls.
The rear seats are able to seat 3 full adults with amazing leg room and comfort. With the addition of a panoramic sunroof, passengers of all ages will be looking out at the sky from the comfort of their seat.
All the features and styling you would expect from a high end luxury sedan can be found in the Optima Platinum. With the addition of every car being tuned to Australian conditions makes it a comfortable and luxurious ride with a reasonable price tag to compete and beat all cars in the Optima’s category.
Kieren Olney
New Vehicle Sales Consultant
Toowong Kia
Kia wins four ‘red dot’ awards for its compact models
– New Kia pro_cee’d receives the ‘Best of the Best’ award
– ‘Winner’ awards go to the Kia cee’d, the cee’d Sportswagon and the new Kia Carens
(SEOUL) March 12, 2013 – Kia’s design team has won four prestigious ‘red dot’ design awards, including a ‘Best of the Best’ distinction for the new Kia pro_cee’d in the product design category. The Kia cee’d five-door, cee’d Sportswagon and Carens compact MPV models collected ‘Winner’ awards.
Along with the iF product design award in November 2012, this is the second prize won by the Kia pro_cee’d before the new model goes on sale later this month. The four 2013 awards bring the total number of Kia’s red dot wins to 10 since 2009. Kia’s Soul, Venga, Sportage compact SUV and D-segment Kia Optima sedan – the latter was awarded the coveted ‘Best of the Best’ prize – were followed last year by awards for the five-door Kia Rio B-segment hatch and the A-segment Kia Picanto.
“We are very proud of the ‘red dots’ that have been awarded to all of the cee’d family, along with the new Carens. And we are especially enthusiastic about the ‘Best of the Best’ award for the Kia pro_cee’d because, after the Kia Optima, yet another of our vehicles has received the highest honours from the jury,” says Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer of Kia Motors Corporation.
“The fact that our most important compact models have won four prizes is a great acknowledgement of the work of our international design teams. Our cars have now been winning for five years in a row, which once again confirms that we are on the right path with our consistent design strategy.”
red dot award: a seal of quality in product design
The Design Centre of North Rhine-Westphalia founded the red dot awards programme in 1955, and it is now one of the most prestigious design contests in the world. The internationally acclaimed seal of quality features ‘product design’, ‘communication design’ and ‘design concepts and prototypes’ categories. This year, 1,865 manufacturers from 54 countries submitted 4,662 products. A 37-strong jury judged the products according to nine criteria, including degree of innovation, clarity of function, formal quality and sustainability. The award presentation will be held at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen on 1 July 2013.
The cee’d family and the Carens: attractive choices in the compact class
The cee’d family first launched in Europe in 2007 and is now well-established in the C-segment. The winner of the 2013 red dot ‘Best of the Best’ award, the three-door Kia pro_cee’d, sports a new athletic look that sets it apart from the five-door cee’d model. It is exceptionally well-specified with a high level of equipment as standard and is offered with two diesel (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) and two petrol (1.4-litre and 1.6-litre) engines, with up to 99kW of power and CO2 emissions from under 100 g/km.
The Kia Carens is a new family-friendly compact MPV that builds on the already excellent functionality and flexibility of its predecessor with a new sleek elegance. In both its five and seven-seat configurations, the new Carens offers an impressive specification as standard, including air conditioning, audio system, multifunctional steering wheel, cruise control and LED daytime running lights. The Carens is available with a choice of two petrol engines (1.6-litre and 2.0-litre) and a 1.7-litre turbo diesel, with performance spanning 99 to 122kW and CO2 emissions from 124 g/km.
Vehicle specifications and standard equipment mentioned in this news release are for models sold in Western Europe.
Toowong Kia has achieved excellent quality in both the dealership facilities and operations and complies with the KMC global dealer standards, therefore earning the distinction of ‘Platinum Dealer’.
This highly converted, internationally recognized award is only awarded to a few Kia dealerships in the world.
Here at Toowong Kia we strive for excellence and pride ourselves on giving customers the satisfaction they are being well looked after.
The award have given us great pride in the work we do, knowing that the high standards we hold within our dealership is recognized by Kia.
Kia Motors Australia has confirmed that the sporty Pro_cee’d GT Turbo will be coming to Australian shores.
Australia will be the first and only market outside Europe to take on the new car.
This is exciting news for Kia Motors Australia as it is a whole new level of performance and style.
Though not much information has been passed on in regards to the GT Turbo in regarding when we will get it and how much it will cost, we do know that the car will be powered by the 1.6 GDI engine boosted by a few internal upgrades and a twin-scroll turbocharger to produce a thrilling 150Kw (201hp) and 265Nm of torque which will propel the GT Turbo from 0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds onto a top speed of 230km/h.
More details and release dates will be provided once they become available.
Scott Douma – New car sales executive – Toowong Kia
Hi my name is Scott Douma and I am one of the new car sales consultants and Toowong Kia. I have driven a large range of cars in my time in the automotive sector and would like to share with you some of my thoughts on the Kia Sportage.
The Kia Sportage came from humble beginings back in 1993 to its arrival on our shores here in Australia back in 1997. The Sportage was one of the original compact SUVs on the market. The third generation has a 20 year history backing up the quailty, drivability and over all customer satisfaction.
The spacious design of the Sportage is fantastic for all applications, from picking the kids up from school to that long needed weekend away. 60/40 split fold rear seats gives up to a massive 1547 litres of boot space in a SUV you can confidently drive in busy city traffic. The option to have a two wheel drive petrol or all wheel drive petrol and diesel option ensures that no matter what you plan on doing in life that there is a Sportage within your budget.
The added safey of front, side and curtain airbags you can know with confidence that you have your family in safe hands. Anti Lock Braking (ABS) and Electronic Stabaility Control (ECS) in conjuction with Kia’s Traction Control System (TCS) improves drivability and active safety to ensure that the car occupants of the car are safe in all situations.
Picture yourself on a day trip, you are standing on the beach over looking the ocean, waves are crashing and you can feel the cooling water between your toes and it washes the warm sand away from under your feet. You have just had a beautiful day of sun, surf and fun with family or friends you don’t want it to end but you turn around and look at the Sportage that took you there and know that next weekend you can do it all again. As you drive back along the hard sand with the crystal clear ocean on one side and beautiful golden sands on the other, it will bring a warm smile to your face.
The buzz of owning Sportage is not only just to have a car to get from A to B but the ability to have an adventure.
With options such as Satalite Navigation and Panoramic Sunroof you can enhance the adventures you could have.
Over all the Sportage is a true adventure machine. Its user friendly interface and its modern sporty looks will place the Sportage as a must have in your garage.
Scott Douma – New car sales executive, Toowong Kia.
Hi my name is Scott Douma and I am one of the new car sales consultants and Toowong Kia. I have driven a large range of cars in my time in the automotive sector and would like to share with you some of my thoughts on the Kia Rio.
Lets face it, the Kia Rio has had a rather good history in Australia. Starting back in the early 2000, the first generation of Kia Rio was popular for its price point and fuel efficiency. Jumping forward to the second generation being released in 2005 the popularity increased with a more sport compact design and getting a nicer finish then its predecessor. Then in 2011 something special happened, Kia released its third generation Rio with design and quality to even make the German put their worry pants on.
With pricing at the sub twenty five thousand mark, with an option for a 5 or 3 door hatch or a 4 door sedan and two engine options, the car will be able to fit into anyone’s price point and carry four fully grown adults in comfort or a family of five.
The sporty lines of the car coupled with either the 1.4L or the bigger more powerful 1.6L four cylinder will get you having fun out on the road without putting you into trouble. The two engine options are available in either a manual or automatic option allowing all ages and driving abilities to drive with confidence and comfort.
The drivability of the car is simply fantastic, you feel safe and secure with road hugging performance. The suspension allows you to drive in comfort but not letting the car roll all over the road. Seating and visibility is perfect with a height adjustable drivers seat and telescopic steering collum.
The safety on this car is class leading with no short cuts taken, it feature everything from ABS braking, traction control, 6 air bags and much much more no wonder this car sails through to a 5 Star ANCAP safety rating.
Overall the third gen Rio is the perfect car for someone looking for second to none value for money, without having the substitute class, sportiness and safety.
Scott Douma – New car sales executive, Toowong Kia.
As the Australian new car market topped the million sale mark by November for the first time, Kia Motors continued to play its part in the record growth as the fastest growing mainstream passenger car marque.
Figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries showed the Australian market had hit the magic million mark by the end of November for the first time in history, with Kia sales helping to push the barrow with growth of 24.9 per cent over 2011.
“We are extremely pleased with sales across our entire range,” said Kia Chief Operating Officer, Tony Barlow. “The strong sales are a clear indication the buyer confidence in Kia products is continuing to grow, driven by the brand’s key planks of safety, styling, engineering and value.”
Mr Barlow said the brand’s 29.4 per cent year-on-year growth in a market growing just over 9 per cent was a pleasing vindication of Kia Motor Australia’s focussed long term business plans over the past few years.
In the passenger segment, Optima (up 166.1 per cent over 2011) and Rio showed solid growth with the latter posting a year-to-date rise of 31.6 per cent and more than 60 per cent growth for the month compared to November 2011.
The multi-award winning Rio, winner of the 2011 Carsguide Car of the Year, a two-time winner of Australia’s Best Cars ‘Best Light Car under $20,000’ award and a dual winner of the Carsales.com.au People’s Choice Awards, was the top seller for Kia in November.
Kia’s highly awarded SUV pair, Sorento and Sportage, are also finishing the year with a rush with Sorento up 24.9 per cent and Sportage up 26 per cent when compared to the same period last year.
The Sorento SLi recently added to its award cabinet with the ‘Best SUV over $40,000’ in the annual Drive Car of the Year awards while Kia Sportage SLi was recognised by Australia’s Best Cars receiving the award for ‘Best SUV under $40,000’.
Kia’s multi-award winning Kia Rio has added another feather to its cap with the announcement that the carsales online community has voted Rio a dual winner in the leading website’s People’s Choice Awards.
Rio topped the votes as the most desired first car and then backed up to grab the inaugural overall prize as the most popular of the 13 segment winners.
“The carsales People’s Choice Awards’ dual recognition for the Kia Rio is another wonderful endorsement for the car and for the brand,” said Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow. “It is particularly satisfying when the votes are cast by people who are actively engaged in making a purchasing decision.
“As the fastest growing mainstream brand in the Australian new car market, it is heartening to see shopper speaking out in favour of Kia’s products.”
The 13 lifestyle categories by which the various cars were selected mirror the search options shoppers can use to find vehicles they want on the various carsales network sites. For 2012, the People’s Choice Awards are based on the motoring.com.au editorial team settling on the finalists, with winners in each category then decided by popular vote from the public. To be considered, each of the cars had to be on sale and driven by motoring.com.au prior to September 1 this year.
“All of the finalists nominated across the carsales People’s Choice Award categories are strong performers. But the new format of the awards is a chance for our audience of genuine new car shoppers to voice its opinion,” said Managing Director and CEO of carsales.com Ltd, Greg Roebuck.
The carsales network of websites attracts more Australians buying and researching new car purchases than any other – they are well informed and that adds even more kudos to a category or outright win.”
